Apr 30, 2012

Podgy Panda x Cris Rose – Edition B: Custard Podgonaut (05.03)

With the success of their first release, why not have another!? That’s why Podgy Panda and Cris Rose are out to release Edition B of the Podgonaut resin figure in a Custard yellow colorway.

"The Podgonauts have found themselves in a very sticky situation, they've landed on a planet where there's Custard tar pits everywhere! The Podgonaut space team seems to be in a bit of a kerfuffle. Lets hope they manage to get out safely!"

This release is limited to 5 pieces that stand 3” tall. They will go on sale on Thursday, May 3rd at 6PM London Time over in the Podgy Panda Store and will retail $140 each. Aching for something more limited? Available will also be a few one of a kind customs for $180. There will also be one matching Monkey Mechanic hidden in one of the packages for one lucky customer!

L’amour Supreme – M.O.T.U.K.O.

A little less than a year ago L’amour Supreme teased a photo of his new upcoming vinyl figure, M.O.T.U.K.O. (Masters of the Universe Knock Off). Now without any word or mention of a release, his M.O.T.U.K.O. figure made a surprise debut and release at Super Festival 59. The bright Green and Pink colorway pays homage to L’amour’s color palette and 80’s Skateboarding style. We hope to see a U.S. release soon, as we can’t wait to get our hands on one!

Noferin – Jibibuts Artist Collection

Now that all 12 of the Jibibut figures from Noferin’s Artist Collection have been revealed, we now need to know how much and how soon can we get these in our collections? Well to answer the how soon part, all we know is very soon! You will be able to find these 100% wooden toys in your local designer toy stores. Purchasing a full case of 12 blind boxes gets you a complete, or you can play the game of luck and pick up a blind box for $9 each.

Live Mega Munny Painting – Shane Jessup (LA) and Rsin (NYC) in May

Kidrobot is gearing up for several Live Mega Munny Painting sessions at their various stories. First up this Saturday (5.5.12) is Rsin @ KRNY (12-4 PM) who will finish off his piece-in-progress shown on the flier Shane Jessup will keep things rolling with his turn, titled ‘Bless this Mess’ the following Saturday (5.12) @ KRLA (1-5 PM). Shane’s design is under wraps so far...

Shawnimals – NOTM: Summer Ninja (5.2)

Just in time for warm weather and carefree days (at least for some), Shawnimals is celebrating with the latest hand-made Ninja of the Month plush, Summer Ninja. Decked out in a Sunny yellow ninja suit, this happy warrior is ready to battle the heat with his Popsicle-chucks. Complete with the Flower sash and Popsicle-chucks, The 7” plush figure also includes the usual NoTM goodies – s/n hang tag, character sticker and character button. Summer Ninja (ed. of 100) drops on Wednesday, March 2nd 2012 @ 1 PM CDT (11 AM PDT) for $30 from the Ninja Store.

Shawnimals – Remmy Ninja (5.2)

About two months ago, Shawn Smith of Shawnimals was walking the family dog, Remmy, when she was viciously attacked by two unleashed dogs. The ongoing road to recovery has involved numerous medical surgeries and procedures at substantial cost ($17K and rising) as well the expected emotional stress and endless worry. To help the Smiths with Remmy’s medical bills, a friend of theirs setup a ChipIn online fund enabling folks to donate what they can. In addition, Shawnimals is about to release the ‘Remmy Ninja’ plush with proceeds going towards Remmy’s care as well as 25% going towards the construction of the in-the-works Logan Square Dog Park. The 5” plush will be released on Wednesday, May 2nd 2012 @ 1 PM CDT [11 AM PDT] for $20 direct from the Shawimals Shop.

Amanda Visell – Primaries Resin Mini-Figs

Amanda Visell has released the first five figures in her new Primaries resin mini-fig line. Hand-cast and hand-painted at the Switcheroo HQ in the LA area, the Lion, Pegasus, Bear and Rain Monster are available individually ($30) as well as part of a five figure set ($150) which includes the set exclusive Turtle. As you can see above, there are two color palettes on offer – orange/pink and gray/blue. The Primaries are available directly from Amanda at the Switcheroo online store.

Apr 29, 2012

Seen: Bwana Spoons & Subtext Presents: Nature Calls

The other night over at Subtext in San Diego, Bwana Spoons gathered up some friends to put together a group show entitled, “Nature Calls”. Bwana had even made the trip out from Portland for the opening night and was also accompanied by a couple of out of town friends, Amanda Visell and Michelle Valigura. The show featured a ton of inspiring art following the theme of Nature and is definitely a sight to see if you are in the area.

Apr 27, 2012

Brandt Peters –- Stingy-Jack Sofubi + ‘Show Your Sidekick’ Contest

Circus Posterus has revealed their first sofubi figure – Brandt Peters’Stingy-Jack, produced in collaboration with Japan’s Tomenosuke. As part of the reveal, CP has kicked off their ‘Show Your Sidekick’ contest asking the public to dream up a sidekick character for Jack. The winner receive the above light blue test pull of the figure. Per the official contest description, the emphasis here is on creativity rather than pure drawing or artistic ability. Go check it out and enter by the deadline (Midnight, Thursday May 24th PDT). And… count the days to Stingy-Jack’s release.

Kronk – 6” Totem Fatcap (5.10)

Kronk takes his talents to the Big Fatcap with his upcoming 6” Totem edition in the pipe from Kidrobot (5.10). The winged party machine mixes the old and the new when it comes to pure hedonism. Limited to 900 pieces, look for this one on May 10th 2012 for $75.

Ron English x Chris Brown -- ‘Dum English’ Toy Signing @ TAG (5.2)

Ron English and Chris Brown will be at Toy Art Gallery on Wednesday afternoon (5.2) to sign their new collaborative ‘Dum English’ line of vinyl toys produced by Garageworks. Limited to those purchasing toys, the event will feature the release of the Star Skull Astronautnecklace figures ($75 each) as well as the 10-inch Star Skull Astronaut in both Pink and Turquoise editions ($140 each).

Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica – Iron Spider-Man Celsius Custom

Rotobox is back with a sharp new custom Celsius, ‘Iron Spider-Man’. This homage to two of Marvel’s most popular Super Heroes is part of Rotobox’s ‘Marvelous Materpiece Tribute Series’. The overall hybrid design with the abstracted spider emblem and the vicious tri-blade backpack is set off with a super glossy red + gold paint application. This unique piece is already sold – presumably as the result of a private commission. Less is more? Definitely in some cases.

Apr 26, 2012

Tony Gil – Free Runner Diamond Kid

Tony Gil is about to release his ‘Free Runner Diamond Kid’ custom (ed. of 5, $300). His first Kidrobot Mascot-based piece really makes the most of his parkour concept/pose seen in many of his other customs. The KR fig’s shoes and outfit in general flow nicely into the urban concept. The ‘94’ on the spray can is a nice touch as well. We’re also digging the bandanna concept though we’d love to see a tighter paint application. And yes… the pose is reminiscent of PAW. In the end though, definitely a fun piece. Look for these to drop on Friday, April 27th 2012 from Tony’s web shop.

Amanda Visell’s Upcoming Resin Mini-Fig Series

Over the past few days, Amanda Visell has shown a few sneak peeks of her upcoming resin mini-fig series which will apparently feature five figures initially (including a Pegasus and what we think is an owl), each hand-cast in her studio in the shadow of the Foothills. Look for the first five designs this Friday (if the schedule holds) and five more in a month or so.

Ferg x Brandt Peters – Tomenosuke Exclusive Troubleboys #7 Tease

A few months ago we posted some brief news about the upcoming Troublesboys #7 [Drifter] collaborative SQUADT from Ferg and Brandt Peters. Here’s a look at the first of a series of teaser images for the new figure slated to drop exclusively from Tomenosuke. Fashioned in the style of the Yakuzua, the new piece looks to be extremely detailed. In just this shot alone we see the embroidered No. 7 eyepatch and what appears to be a rather intricate red eye (lens) complete with arrow pattern. The shot also seems to reveal that the sword design has changed from the piece shown at the two artists’ collabo show towards the beginning of the year – with a more or less straight top edge instead of the previously curved point. Hopefully the double-fisted pistol action is still ready to fly.

Paul Kaiju – Pollen Kaiser DX Teaser

It looks as though the Paul Kaiju x TAG figure, Pollen Kaiser DX is almost ready. Take a look at a few teaser photos Paul posted of his next highly anticipated sofubi toy! We canot wait to see how much this behemoth of a figure will tower over all of Paul’s other toys. Did you notice the Party Ball homage on the waist?

Huck Gee – Hotaru Copter Squad “Copter Boy”

Huck Gee gets airborne! Introducing his latest limited edition run coming from the Hotaru Copter Squad, Copter Boy! Featuring goggles, propeller, rockets, and very necessary scarf, Copter Boy comes signed and numbered in an edition of 10 pieces. He also comes packaged in in a laser etched wooden box and will run you $875. If interested, please send an inquiry to sales[at]huckgee[dot]com to claim yours today!

Long before there was the now legendary Hotaru Copter Squad there was simply "Copter Boy" who, with his sister's help, introduced a revolutionary and last minute innovation that turned out to be pivotal in the battle for Mount Shirokuri. The siblings, strapped into their magical, flying contraptions, rained fire down on the enemy, spreading fear and breaking ranks wherever they flew. The tale of Whiskers the Wizard's bumbling stablehands and their preposterous flying experiments turning the tide of that battle is an unbelievable yet jovial chapter in the history of The Three Wars.

MAD - “Breaking Bad” Resin Mini Mad*L (04.27)

“Tmrw..” he says.. and by he, we mean MAD. As he will be releasing his “Breaking Bad” Resin Mini Mad*L’s this Friday, April 27th. What time? We aren’t sure, but a good way of finding out is by following his Twitter, Facebook, and even his Instagram (@madtoydesign). So keep a look out tomorrow at his Webstore, because these will sell fast!

The Yellow Dino – Clear Mini Goji

The Yellow Dino is back and this time with his brand new all clear Mini Goji resin figure. Produced by MyTummyToys, Mini Goji stands 5” tall and will be produced in limited editions. They have plans on having a release with 5 colorways this Summer and will open Pre-Orders next month. Stay tuned for pre-order information. Might I say that these are some remarkably clear resin figures and that the colored editions reminds me of Jell-O.

Apr 25, 2012

Seen: Jason Limon -- Atropa Dunny Signing @ KRLA

Jason Limon continued his Dunny Tour with Wednesday's signing @ Kidrobot LA. With a new head sculpt and intricate deco, the 8" Atropa Dunny is a nice translation of his art onto the ever popular platform. In addition to signing the new toy and customizing Mini Munnys, Jason also gave away an original painting to one lucky collector with the winning raffle ticket -- an unbelievable bonus. Jason wraps up the signing tour on Thursday @ KRSF.

Emily Bee x Argonaut Resins – Conquest Custom 8” Tuttz

Emily Bee has teamed up with Argonaut Resins to release yet another custom Resin Tuttz figure. So far we’ve seen “Love”, “Strength” and “Destroy”, now this time we get “Conquest”. Standing 8” Tall Conquest will be available on Thursday, April 26th at 1PM ESTHERE for $235.

Conquest has been on a difficult journey, encountering many kinds of obstacles along the way. He has looked into the face of his own fears until they no longer scare him anymore. Conquest has deep battle scars, yet through it all he has come out victorious. Perseverance and persistence has made him stronger.

Andrew Bell & Gary Ham for Playsam 500 (04.28)

The Playsam 500 is just around the corner and as we get closer, we get to see what all of the participating artists have to offer. Above we have submissions from Andrew Bell and Gary Ham.

For Andrew’s piece, he went with the “less is more” route. By adding more simple shaped pieces as well as different stains. He also took two of the wheels and turned one of them into the hands and the other into a miniature Streamliner. Great job Andrew!

Since proceeds of this show will be going to the World Childhood Foundation, Gary decided to go with a fond memory he had when he was a kid. “Some Play in Autumn” features a young child playing in a pile of leaves under a huge tree. Something we all enjoyed when we were kids. The tire swing is a great touch.

The Playsam 500 is taking place this Saturday, April 28th at Super7 in San Francisco.

Apr 24, 2012

Scribe - ‘Intrinsic Value’ @ myplasticheartnyc (5.18)

Donald ‘Scribe’ Ross will open ‘Intrinsic Value’ @ myplasticheartnyc in May (5.18). There’s not much word on what to expect though we’re pretty sure you’ll see tight 2D work featuring his character menagerie and probably some 3D pieces as well. So far the only preview we’ve spotted is a prelim line drawing posted to Instagram (after the jump).

Ferg x Grody Shogun – Young Gohst Subscription (4.30)

Back in November, Ferg revealed the Young Gohst project, a collaborative effort with Grody Shogun. Since that time we’ve been waiting for additional news and photos. The wait is over. Ferg has announced the Young Gohst subscription and with it released pictures of some samples as well as a chart revealing color combinations. Young Gohst’s hybrid design which blends the Squadt and Sofubi aesthetics, features a sculpt from Scott Wilkowski with a simple outter body and a suspended brain (4 different designs).

The half-year subscription will include 13 figures ( 1 chase) with 2 shipped per month for five months followed by 3 in the final six month. While the color combinations are set (see chart after the jump), the brain sculpts are not and are random. The subscription goes on sale on April 30th @ Noon CDT and will be available for about a week. The price for the 13 figures including shipping is $285 (~ $22/fig) with an additional $70 for international orders. In addition to the subscription, there will be a 2-pack featuring the first two Young Gohsts for $58 shipped.

We’re definitely digging this project. It’s a really nice blend of worlds and approaches from three very talented guys. It’s got ‘special’ written all over it.